Im baffled, mixed reviews, fluctuating prices
Ive been looking all weekend for a new HU for my Z

I would like to order from Crutchfield because they have always been very nice to me in the past, i dont base decisions on money, i also dont have money but am willing sell my shoes

Anyone have suggestions?

I want a DVD player, HD radio (or ability to add) double din preferred and must have a great tuner, i hate radios that get horrible reception
Seems simple but i havent bought a radio for years and the last one was a cheap throw in to sell a car

Seems all GPS HU's get bashed on for the POI being outdated or maps for that matter, i think i will stick with phone technology for that, unless you have a suggestion that is a no brainier! But also not trying to make a target

I know people know this stuff and keep up on it, i dont so i dont want to make a costly mistake and be miserable with something

Thank you!

 

I bought this one refurbished from Amazon and I love it, can't say much on tuning though, sorry for that.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00385H7RS

 

Problem with all of the Pioneers is no HD and that one has no bluetooth also
Will come out expensive on the add-ons

 

I checked out the Pioneer X930BT and I really liked it. It was ~ $600-700. Relatively quick response when using it. The new Kenwoods were a bit laggy with all the fancy animations.

But I guess see what your budget is. I set my budget to ~ $700-1000 cuz I want a fairly new or last gen HU.

 

Your question is easily answered.

Simply create the feature list you need/want, and research the marketplace for available devices with features you require. Done.

--Spike

 

Really not that easy Spike, that is why i made a stupid thread for help

Options dont tell you that the radio freezes, gets bad reception, horrible load times... Some of the reviews fill those in but unfortunetly i cannot contact that person to see if they were an idiot, fixed any issues, or any details on there issues/likes.

Hoping to find someone that had/has a good experience with a HU so i can make a better decision on a purchase

 

You should hit up a car stereo shop and check out all the diff headunits. I went to CarToys to check out the Pioneer / Kenwood units and I found the Kenwood ones to just be mostly appearances whereas Pioneers actually perform. I don't like to wait several seconds to switch sources because of fancy animations.

Also reception issues can be where the antennas are located. Once you get your system installed and reception is bad, the installers probably won't mind moving the antenna for you.

 

I got a JVC KW-AVX830 for about $450 from Sonic Electronix on one of those "name your own price" specials about a year ago.

Here's what I like about it:

1. Detachable face (rare for a 2-din stereo)
2. Beautiful picture on DVD playback
3. HD Radio (had to buy the receiver separately for $80)
4. Good equalization options
5. Haven't had any problems with it over the past year
6. Has Bluetooth (both hands-free calling and to play 2 channel audio)
7. Tons of inputs (Ipod, etc... I have a 60 GB hard drive hooked up to it with my entire music library)
8. Steering wheel remote compatible
9. Looks good in the car (mine's set to amber)
10. Can set it up so that the screen goes blank at night so it's not annoying.

What I don't like:

1. Fonts could be better
2. Can't choose a custom wallpaper

I've been really happy with it. I think this particular model has been discontinued, but there are newer models out there for around the same price (and with more features). JVC's been around forever, so there's no mystery about the company. I have a JVC ghetto blaster from back in the 1980's that still works, so I know their stuff is built well. Anyway, that's my $0.02.

 

Your thread isn’t stupid. I understand why you want members here to describe their experience with H/U’s they own.

The important point here is when you ask individuals to describe their experience (“Hoping to find someone that had/has a good experience with a HU so i can make a better decision on a purchase’); you are getting opinions rather than statistical facts.

--Spike

 

Whatever you do, do not buy from CarToys! They are far overpriced. Go ahead and spend some time there to look, but DO NOT let them steal your money.

I like Crutchfield, but now only purchase through SonicElectronix. They're consistently less expensive and have offered me the same level of service. Plus, their site has much better filtering so you can narrow down your search and a ton of reviews for all their products.

I personally have the Pioneer AVH-P4100DVD and am very happy with it. However, HD radio and Bluetooth aren't included out of the box. Reception is as good as stock. I believe they are now two models past the 4100, now up to the 4300. The new 4300 is beautiful, BTW.

 

Of course. Just saying hit one up cuz they should have the headunit wired up for you to test out.

 

Wow SonicElectronix is alot cheaper
For instance the pioneer p4300 is $499 on crutchfield and $427 on SonicElectronix
both with shipping/harness/dash kit